A frame that took two years, two states and a community to raise.
After building our home, we realized we did it all wrong. If we had it all to do over again, we would have started with the shop first: A place to store material and tools, to work out of the elements, to protect our items while the house was under construction, a carport for the tractor, it goes on and on...! Two years after we finished our cabin, we began plans for The Orchid.
Design and Cutting
Frank spent a few weeks on design and then put in our timber order mid-summer, 2020. We began cutting in September while staying in North Carolina with our friends Walter and Luz. Ironically, just that past year, Frank cut the Amadell Green House in Tennessee at our homesite, transported it to North Carolina and then raised it. Now, we were doing the reverse: cutting a frame for our property at Amadell, knowing we would bring it back to Tennessee to raise it.
We finished a majority of the joinery by early October. Around this time, we found out we would be taking a solar job in Maine. Having to leave rather abruptly, we left our frame stickered and covered in North Carolina. Traditionally, you want to raise the frame as soon as you are done cutting the joinery. The longer the timbers sit, the more they dry out, warp, and do interesting things. It can be risky to wait long periods of time between cutting and raising as joints may not fit exactly. We had no choice but to take the risk.
Final Preparation
We finished our job in Maine and came back to Tennessee in late winter 2021. Over then next few months, we brought the frame to Tennessee, set the stacked stone foundation, and cut the brace stock and rafters.
Since this frame was for our personal use, Frank designed the entire structure in his head. He made minimal notes on lengths and measurements to help me visualize and assist with joinery, but other than that, all of the design work was stored upstairs. When we came back and were ready to pick up where we left off, this left an interesting process of retracing what the exact intricacies of that design were!
Raising Day
Almost seven months after we cut the frame, we were ready to raise it. We invited our neighbors Andy and Rebecca and their two boys, Colin and Rowan, over for the raising. It was a community affair. Frank made a point of designing this frame so that it could be hand-raised without the use or need for heavy equipment. Which allowed for us to raise the frame in an afternoon. We were elated to find that the timbers had behaved in their winter respite. All of the joints fit perfectly.
A Vision for Community
Having that energy of family and community brought us to the heart of what timber framing is for us. We envision frames bringing people together, co-creating, and facilitating a space for people to learn, grow and connect. We felt the full force of this as we all brought our folding chairs in the center of the frame and had a celebratory dinner after the initial raising.
Functionality and Finishing
The next day, we put on the rafters and the roofing. Frank also had the brilliant idea of creating two half lofts for storage and even built a 10ft lean-to off of the back as an extension so we could use it as a temporary timber frame shop. It was never intended to be fully enclosed, but when it looked like we would be framing in the winter, Frank decided it would be nice to have a space protected from the elements.
It just so happened that Luz and Walter gave us some old windows and Frank had also acquired double doors from a project he did for Bill and Sherry. We picked up lumber for the exterior walls which I heat treated and we incorporated the doors and windows into the structure. By the time Frank was done, we had a natural and rustic enclosed space.
Eventually, once we build our timber frame shop, this structure will be our garden and tractor shed with a potential attached greenhouse, hence why we named it The Orchid.
Where are Frank and Rebekah?

Currently, we are in North Carolina cutting Mark and Ladda's home, onsite.
Check out our Bear Branch Facebook Group to see photos and more updates!
As always, feel free to reach out and connect with us.
With love,
Rebekah & Frank
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